Describing as bundle of lies, the black paper issued by TDP on the power crisis, YSR Congress has said it was Chandrababu Naidu who was responsible for the power sector fiasco and now he was trying to shift the blame on YS Rajasekhar Reddy, whose policies were pro-poor.
“Chandrababu Naidu assumes that people have a short memory. Power sector was totally neglected and was ruined during TDP regime while YSR tried to revive it in the best possible way and launched several welfare schemes benefitting, farmers, weavers and small and medium sector industries,” party leaders DA Somayajulu, G Sreekanth Reddy, Kapu Ramachanda Reddy and Janak Prasad told reporters here on Wednesday.
The black paper tries to cover up the faulty policies of the TDP term and try to spread falsehood on YSR and project him as the person responsible for the present power crisis, which is a mischievous and futile exercise. The black paper screaming that YSR has favoured private parities which is the reason for the present crisis is absurd. It was N Chandrababu Naidu who behaved like a World Bank agent and was always slanting towards privatisation and MNCs, they said.
While the state Electricity Board was in profits for the five consecutive years from 1985 to 94, it was pushed into the red during the ten year rule of TDP from 1994 to 2004 and the accumulated loss was over Rs 20,000 crores.
They said it was Chandrababu Naidu who had done a record-breaking midnight fete in February 1995 by signing 23 MoUs to generate 10,000 MWs power with private parties, most of them who did not have proper credentials. After the 23 MoU fiasco, Chandrababu Naidu again singed MoUs for eight short gestation power projects in private sector for producing naphtha-based 2,000 MW projects at varying from Rs 0.97 to Rs 1.35. When this created a big controversy as to the cost of the Naphtha based projects, the issue was side-stepped. It was Chandrababu Naidu who allotted power projects to GVK, Spectrum and has had earlier given guarantee and singed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with terms that are favourable to industrialists.
YSR, while he was the Leader of Opposition tried to mount pressure to revoke the agreements, but the agreements were written with strong legal backing and little could be done, they said. It was Chandrababu Naidu who increased the power tariff on the dictates of World Bank frequently and there was no mention of it while YSR tried his best and balanced development and welfare.
It is not the utilisation of capacity but it is the scarcity of raw materials that is the main issue for power shortage. The state could not get its share of gas nor get additional coal to generate more power and Chandrababu Naidu instead of training his guns on the Kiran Kumar Reddy government has been targeting YSR for selfish motives, they said.
While Chandrababu Naidu was harsh on farmers and booked cases against them, YSR had provided them the much needed help and gave free power which has increased productivity in agriculture and industrial sectors.
The balance sheet shows that the assets and liabilities ratio was a healthy 100: 101 while it slid to 40: 100 during TDP regime. When the power situation is so grim, Chandrababu Naidu should have come forward to move a no confidence motion in the assembly. Instead he shielded the government by skipping the event and he is now making noise with the black paper and dharnas.
Even in the assembly, TDP and Congress tried hard to hurry through the proceedings of the House to avoid a meaningful debate on the power situation, they said.
On TDP refusing to join YSRCP in the agitation against power, they said it is good that they are distancing themselves, as it will be a scar on us if we join the tormentors in the struggle.